Thread: Suggestions for rewards cards needed!

New member here looking for advice.

My situation is the following:

-I use credit cards for any purchase that I possibly can, and then pay off the balance every month.
-Credit score is 820
-0 debt

Current cards:

Chase Freedom
Associated Bank
American Express Delta Skymiles
Chase Amazon
Bank of America Signature Visa

The Delta card was opened only to get the free miles, and pay for a few flights to get some bonus miles. I'll be closing that card before getting hit with the $95 yearly fee.

The Associated Bank card gives a small 1% unlimited cash back and triple rewards on gas, drugstore and grocery store purchases. It used to give 5%, so I'm considering dropping this one. Reward program details here: https://www.myrewardsaccess.com/Terms.aspx

Chase Amazon is used solely for Amazon.com purchases

Bank of America Signature Visa - Rewards expired awhile ago. I've had this card forever and don't really use it.

Chase freedom give 5% back in certain categories, but you have to sign up for the rewards program every quarter (very simple one button click received in email link) and the bonus categories change every quarter.

My highest spending areas in this order are:

Wal-mart (groceries) $350-400 /month
Dining Out $200-$250 /month
Gas $200-$250 /month

Given the amounts spent per month, what card or combination of cards will best suit my needs and give me the highest rewards possible in the areas that I spend the most in? I don't travel frequently as I used to, so cash rewards would suit me better. Which cards have been confirmed to recognize Wal-mart as a grocery store?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the forum!

The unfortunate news is that there are no credit cards that classify Wal-Mart as a grocery store.

Focusing on dining out and gas the two best options would probably be:

Citi Forward card - Only card to give 5x points on fast food and restaurants. You will not find a better card for eating out. (This is a sponsored offer with CCF's signup bonus)

For gasoline the answer is not as clear cut. The Penfed Visa Platinum Cashback Rewards Card gives 5% for purchases at the pump and 2% at grocery stores. You will need to become a Penfed credit union member and pay a $20 donation, if you are not affiliated with the military, before you will be eligible for the card. Other than that the only other cards that give a straight 5% on gas without tiers or low caps will be gas station specific, such as the BP gas credit card.

If you were spending an average of $1,500 or more per month on all other purchases excluding eating out, then I would recommend the AmEx Blue Cash for it's 5% on gas, groceries, and drugstores. The problem is it is a tiered program and that level of rewards is only given on spending in excess of $6,500 per year. (This link is also a sponsored signup offer).

All the best,
CreditCardGuru

I also recommend the Fidelity Amex Investment or Retirement rewards cards, which pay 2% across the board with no cap into a Fidelity account, which is easy and free to open if you don't already have one.

For restaurants you might want to consider the Citi Forward card, but that would get you into having to deal with the Citi website and customer service, both of which are lacking in my opinion.

I would definitely keep the Freedom and Amazon cards, particularly because you can manage both from the same website at Chase. You might consider adding a Sapphire card to get better travel rewards through Chase. Your Sapphire and Freedom points can now be combined on either account to accelerate your reward qualification.

You could do well with the Fidelity card as your main and your Freedom for whatever categories are paying the 5% that quarter.

Thanks for the replies. I'll definitely check those out! It's too bad that they don't recognize wal-mart as a grocery store.

I got the Citi Forward card and the PenFed now. 5% back on gas and 5% back at restaurants! Is there a monthly/yearly cap on either of these 2 cards? Is there a card that is 5% year round on grocery purchases? If there was a way to purchase gift cards from a recognized grocery store and then use them at wal-mart, that would be ideal as wal-mart in my area beats out all supermarkets. Anyone have any success doing this? (Trialed it for a month and wal-mart came out ahead.)

I do this all the time for Starbucks Cards, Best Buy, Target, fast food chains, etc. with an HHonors American Express that gives a bonus for grocery/drugstore purchases. That's about all I use the card for except for other bonus categories, and I know I get the bonus points on the grocery/drugstore spend.

I feel like I have seen Wal-Mart gift cards for sale at a grocery or drugstore but I don't remember where. There are more Target stores around here... but if you have seen a grocery store selling them, chances are good that it will work

I was browsing the RBC cards over again last night, and noticed there is a new CASH-BACK vista. Seemed at first to be a top-line card, 5% on groceries, and 1% on everything else. Then I noticed the 20$ annual fee. Well, that still certainly seems worth positive equity, however I noticed then that the 5% on groceries is only until the end of March.

When things seem too good to be true, they almost certainly are once you read the small-print :P